Ellen Barkin vs. NYPD: Who's Right; Who's Wrong? (watch!)

Actress Ellen Barkin had an apparent run-in with New York City Police on New Year’s Eve. Fortunately, her boyfriend captured this travesty of justice, or moment of overweening celebrity entitlement, on his phone cam. Watch and decide for yourself.

The incident began when Barkin encountered a group of New York City police officers apparently trying to round up a group of protesters, possibly aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement, near her home on 13th St. and 6th Ave.

The actress, who fancies herself a political activist, tried to intervene as the police were putting people in one of their vans. Big mistake.

Here’s her account:

“Just threatened on my street by NYPD, cop shoved me, both hands, onto sidewalk..Is it a crime 2 stand in the street in NY?WTF is going on here?” she Tweeted.

“I was trying 2 make my way 2 young girl they had thrown in2 the van. She was not a protester. Was not drunk. She was walking home,” she wrote.

“I have never been afraid of a NY policeman until last nite. What I saw was random & senseless arrests and unnecessarily threatening behavior,” she Tweeted about the incident.

Hmmmm… sounds like a case of celebrity self-entitlement. What made Barkin think the cops would allow her to intervene in a police matter? Because she was a celebrity, apparently.

Anyone who’s ever been in New York City on New Year’s Eve knows it’s filled with crazed revelers. Don’t let Times Square fool you. That gathering is like a junior high school house party with your parents chaperoning. Security is tight, no alcohol is allowed, and everyone is generally well behaved.

The rest of Manhattan is another matter, and the streets are typically teeming with drunken assholes. The police are trained in crowd control, and first and foremost, they expect people to do what they are told.

Second, they are trained to be purposeful and decisive. If they tell you to move from the street to the sidewalk, it’s best to do it. Push back, and you asking to be arrested.

About The Author

TheImproper Staff

Keith Girard is Editor and Publisher of TheImproper, New York City’s cutting edge arts, entertainment pop culture and lifestyle Web magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine and a reporter for the Washington Post among other media positions.

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Deanna

She was clearly pushed and shoved ny cop. Shameful. Good for her for speaking out.

Matthew Swaye

Ray Kelly’s quota system enforces the business model: policing through dehumanization.

The NYPD Stopped & Frisked 700,000 people last year. Our cops have learned to do whatever the hell they want to. They can’t unlearn it. (This occurred to me as my friend was getting beat with a baton by one of our officers last night. By my count, 700,000 crimes went unreported in NYC last year. The city is not safer. It’s safer for those hoarding wealth. Ray Kelly is a warmonger. Our mayor made 5 billion in the housing bubble. Crime ain’t down. Rain ain’t yellow. I am a citizen. A cop is a servant.